This Day in Music: October 27, 2026

• 2014: Taylor Swift releases 1989.
  Her first full pop album became her best seller, with “Shake It Off” and “Blank Space” both reaching number one. It went on to win the Grammy for Album of the Year.
• 2013: Lou Reed dies at 71.
  The Velvet Underground founder died of liver disease at his home in Southampton, New York, months after a liver transplant. His solo hits included “Walk on the Wild Side.”
• 2009: Brantley Gilbert puts out his debut album, Modern Day Prodigal Son.
  One of its songs, “My Kinda Party,” became a hit for Jason Aldean the following year and the title track of Aldean's 2010 album.
• 2007: Kid Rock scores his first number-one album with Rock N Roll Jesus.
  The Detroit rocker topped the Billboard 200 for the first time in his career. The album's “All Summer Long,” built on pieces of “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Werewolves of London,” became a summer staple.
• 2005: Jay-Z and Nas end their feud on stage together.
  The two New York rappers, who had traded insults on “Takeover” and “Ether,” shared the stage at Power 105.1's Powerhouse concert in New Jersey. Nas later signed with Def Jam while Jay-Z ran the label.
• 1998: Lauryn Hill releases her first solo single, “Doo Wop (That Thing).”
  The former Fugees singer's track debuted at number one on the Hot 100, and its album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, won the Grammy for Album of the Year.
• 1998: The first American Now That's What I Call Music! hits stores.
  The compilation packed 17 recent hits onto one disc. The series caught on fast, and each of its first 29 volumes went Platinum.
• 1982: Prince releases 1999.
  The Minneapolis star's fifth album gave him his first Top 10 pop hit, “Little Red Corvette,” along with the title track, and sold more than 5 million copies worldwide. A proud Minnesota moment.
• 1975: Bruce Springsteen lands on the covers of Time and Newsweek in the same week.
  The double cover story came on the strength of his third album, Born to Run, which turned the New Jersey rocker into a national star.
• 1973: Gladys Knight & the Pips hit number one with “Midnight Train to Georgia.”
  The song held the top spot for two weeks and won the group a Grammy. Songwriter Jim Weatherly had first written it as “Midnight Plane to Houston.”
• 1972: Stevie Wonder releases Talking Book.
  Arriving only eight months after his previous album, it featured Stevie playing most of the instruments himself and produced two number-one hits, “Superstition” and “You Are the Sunshine of My Life.”
• 1964: The Supremes release “Come See About Me.”
  The Motown single became the trio's third straight number-one hit, following “Where Did Our Love Go” and “Baby Love.”
• 1960: Ben E. King records “Stand by Me” and “Spanish Harlem” in one session.
  Newly solo after leaving the Drifters, King cut both future classics the same day. “Stand by Me” reached the Top 10 and returned to the charts in 1986 with the film of the same name.
• 1957: Police in Oakland tell Elvis Presley to keep his hips still.
  At the Oakland Auditorium, officers filmed the show to make sure he behaved, so Elvis performed with nothing more than a wiggle of his little finger.
• 1956: Clarence “Frogman” Henry releases “Ain't Got No Home.”
  The New Orleans singer earned his nickname from the croaking frog voice he used on this rock and roll novelty hit.

Born on This Day

• 1997: Mariah the Scientist, American R&B singer
  Turns 29. The Atlanta singer is known for moody R&B hits including “Burning Blue.”
• 1984: Kelly Osbourne, English singer and TV personality
  Turns 42. The daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne became famous on MTV's The Osbournes and recorded two albums.
• 1967: Scott Weiland, American singer (Stone Temple Pilots)
  Fronted Stone Temple Pilots on hits like “Plush” and later sang with Velvet Revolver; he died in 2015.
• 1958: Simon Le Bon, English singer (Duran Duran)
  Turns 68. Lead voice of “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Rio” and “The Reflex.”
• 1951: K.K. Downing, English guitarist (Judas Priest)
  Turns 75. Co-founded the heavy metal band and played its twin-guitar attack alongside Glenn Tipton for decades.
• 1949: Garry Tallent, American bassist (E Street Band)
  Turns 77. The Detroit-born bassist is a founding member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.
• 1949: Byron Allred, American keyboardist (Steve Miller Band)
  Longtime keyboard player for the Steve Miller Band.
• 1942: Lee Greenwood, American country singer
  Turns 84. Best known for his patriotic anthem “God Bless the USA.”
• 1939: Dallas Frazier, American country singer and songwriter
  Wrote “Elvira,” a smash for the Oak Ridge Boys, and “There Goes My Everything”; he died in 2022.
• 1933: Floyd Cramer, American pianist
  A pillar of the Nashville Sound, he had a Top 10 hit with the instrumental “Last Date” in 1960.
• 1927: Dominick Argento, American composer
  Minnesota connection: he taught at the University of Minnesota for decades and won a Pulitzer Prize for music while living in Minneapolis.
• 1924: Bonnie Lou, American singer
  One of the first women to cut a rock and roll hit, with “Daddy-O” in 1955.
• 1782: Niccolò Paganini, Italian violinist and composer
  The legendary violin virtuoso whose 24 Caprices still challenge players today.